Sofronios Bishara was born in Syria in 1888. He emigrated to the United States of America on [[November 26]], 1914, through Ellis Island after traveling from Broumana, in Turkish Lebanon, through Piraeus, Greece. After his arrival in the New World, Sofronios associated himself with the Syrian Orthodox mission of the [[North American Diocese|Metropolia]] of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Sofronios Bishara was born in Syria in 1888. He emigrated to the United States of America on [[November 26]], 1914, through Ellis Island after traveling from Broumana, in Turkish Lebanon, through Piraeus, Greece. After his arrival in the New World, Sofronios associated himself with the Syrian Orthodox mission of the [[OCA|Metropolia]] of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1917, Sofronios was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]] of the Syrian mission by [[Bishop]] [[Aftimios Ofiesh]] who earlier had been [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] an [[auxiliary bishop]] by [[Archbishop]] [[Evdokim (Meschersky) of the Aleutians|Evdokim (Meschersky)]], succeeding in the position of St. [[Raphael of Brooklyn]]. After his ordination Fr. Sofronios was assigned, in 1918, to St. George's Church in Los Angeles.<ref>''American Orthodox Messenger'', 1918.</ref>

In 1917, Sofronios was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]] of the Syrian mission by [[Bishop]] [[Aftimios Ofiesh]] who earlier had been [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] an [[auxiliary bishop]] by [[Archbishop]] [[Evdokim (Meschersky) of the Aleutians|Evdokim (Meschersky)]], succeeding in the position of St. [[Raphael of Brooklyn]]. After his ordination Fr. Sofronios was assigned, in 1918, to St. George's Church in Los Angeles.<ref>''American Orthodox Messenger'', 1918.</ref>

Revision as of 18:27, June 23, 2011

Life

Sofronios Bishara was born in Syria in 1888. He emigrated to the United States of America on November 26, 1914, through Ellis Island after traveling from Broumana, in Turkish Lebanon, through Piraeus, Greece. After his arrival in the New World, Sofronios associated himself with the Syrian Orthodox mission of the Metropolia of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On May 26, 1928, Archimandrite Sofronios was consecrated the Bishop of Los Angeles by Archbishop Aftimios (Ofiesh), assisted by Metropolitan Elias of Tyre and Sidon of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and Bp. Emmanuel Abo-Hatab (Rizkallah Abouhatab) of the Syrian Orthodox mission of the Russian North American Diocese.[2]

On September 25, 1932, Bp. Sofronios assisted Abp. Aftimios during the consecration of Fr. Joseph Zuk as Bishop of New York of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America.[3][4]

On September 27, 1932, Bp. Sofronios, with Bp. Joseph Zuk, assisted Abp. Aftimios in the consecration of William Albert Nichols as his auxiliary bishop of Washington, under the ecclesiastical name Ignatius. [5][6][7]

In April 1833, Abp. Aftimios married, throwing his ecclesiastical status into confusion as well as the status of the American Orthodox Catholic Church. On October 4, 1933, Bp. Sofronios deposed Abp. Aftimios and assumed the position of Archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox mission of the Russian North American diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church as well as naming himself Archbishop of the Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America. [8][9] On November 2, 1933, Bp. Sofronios deposed Bp. Ignatius (Nochols), who also had married.

In September 1934, Bp. Sofronios retired from church activities due to health issues. He died on October 8, 1940 and was buried in the Arabic section of the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. In July 1989, the remains of Bp. Sofronios were transferred, along those of St. Raphael (Hawaweeny), Bp. Emmanuel (Abo-Hatab), and other clergymen to the Antiochean Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania for reburial.